U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, the keynote speaker of the Permian Basin Petroleum Association’s 52nd annual meeting, made clear that he supports oil independence for economic and foreign policy reasons.

McCaul applauded how, in July, the U.S. surpassed the Saudi region in oil production.

“What a great mark that is, because energy independence is national security,” McCaul said. “The more energy we can produce here in the States, the better off we can be, and Texas leads the nation.”

But during the question-and-answer session, when an audience member asked McCaul if Americans would rather be oil-independent and pay $3.50 per gallon for gas or be oil-dependent and pay $2.50 per gallon for gas, McCaul admitted the latter would likely be the more popular choice. But to seriously respond, McCaul said that when Americans pay the Middle East for their oil, the money may be potentially moved toward nefarious deeds, such as terrorist groups.

To bolster his stance on oil independence, McCaul discussed his introduction of a bill that would stop the nationwide ban on crude oil exports. His statement caused applause from the audience, a room full of top oil executives.

The congressman representing several southeast Texas counties, including Travis, Harris, Bastrop and Waller, said that the lifting of the ban has gained momentum, though it had some initial opposition. He believes the proposed policy makes sense because it creates new jobs in the U.S. and brings in more revenue.

He then highlighted an international issue -- the Russian invasion of Ukraine -- as a reason why the export ban needs to be lifted. He discussed how it would loosen European countries’ and Baltic states’ dependence on Russia for energy.

“Russia will start to strangle them in the winter months,” McCaul said. “Why can’t we pass this bill? I’m very optimistic we will.”

Other than lifting the export ban, McCaul also called for forming a North American energy alliance that would help the nation get off Middle Eastern oil, which McCaul described as a “dangerous dependency.”

The chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security shifted his speech toward the Islamic State and President Barack Obama’s response to the problem thus far. McCaul said Obama can’t respond properly to the Islamic State because he believes the president did not want this to be part of his legacy.

“But ISIS is reality,” McCaul said, using a common acronym for the Islamic State group. “And it’s important that elected officials call it for what it is. They don’t lie to the American people, and they don’t fear monger either, but we’re honest about what the threat really is and what leadership is necessary to eliminate the threat so it can’t come into U.S. and kill Americans.”

McCaul had a “wait-and-see” attitude regarding the U.S.’ airstrike strategy against the Islamic State, though he said there are several faults with it.

“One thing is for sure, in two years the president will no longer be in the White House and it will be a totally different political landscape,” McCaul said. “One where I believe we can truly become the world leader again and stamp out these threats to Americans. I believe the best years have yet to come.”